Captchas are security mechanisms designed to verify whether users are real people or automated programmes and bots. There are different types of captchas, including text-based, image-based and score-based captchas. Captcha solutions are important to protect websites and online services from spam, fraud and other forms of abuse. They help to maintain the integrity and security of the internet. A well-known captcha solution is reCAPTCHA from Google. However, this solution poses challenges in terms of data protection and user-friendliness.

The task of reCAPTCHA is to differentiate between bots and real people, for which different methods are used depending on the version. The most common method is score rating, followed by the traditional methods of text input and image selection. Although reCAPTCHA is widely used and effective against spam, there are a few reasons why many are looking for alternatives. One of the main reasons is data security. As reCAPTCHA is operated by Google, user data is transferred to the company when it is used. This is problematic as Google, as a US company, has to be treated in particular with regard to the GDPR. In the past, this has meant that forms had to be completely hidden as long as the user did not consent to the reCAPTCHA cookies. Friendly Captcha offers the advantage that the application is not only GDPR-compliant and the company is based in Germany, but also does not use any cookies. This means that the forms no longer need to be hidden.

Another reason for looking for alternatives is user-friendliness. The Google reCAPTCHA in version 3 (score rating) repeatedly encounters tracking problems, which prevents the user from completing the form. The Friendly Captcha rating works much more effectively here and offers a classic image puzzle as an alternative if the user cannot be clearly identified. This ensures that the user can always complete the form.